In terms of movements, Chicago O’Hare is creeping up to Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport to become the busiest airport in the world.
Using data from RadarBox.com, we will see how close the Chicago-based airport is and whether we could see a shape-up ahead of the Summer 2023 season.
Without further ado, let’s get into the numbers…
Chicago O’Hare’s Numbers…
For March 5-12, Chicago O’Hare achieved 1,979 movements, which is the same figure as the same period last year.
Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the airport has to find a staggering 428 movements, with this being questionable of achieving this in the Summer 2023 season.
That would ultimately depend on the number of operations that the likes of United Airlines & American Airlines want to add out of the area, as they are the two biggest carriers there.
Below is the last four weeks’ worth of data from Chicago O’Hare:
| Date | 2019 Numbers | 2022 Numbers | 2023 Numbers | Percentage Difference (2023 vs. 2022) |
| February 5-12 | 2116 movements | 1887 movements | 1911 movements | +1.27% |
| February 12-19 | 2234 movements | 1852 movements | 1897 movements | +2.43% |
| February 19-26 | 2449 movements | 1914 movements | 1936 movements | +1.15% |
| February 26-March 5 | 2433 movements | 1947 movements | 1942 movements | -0.26% |
This data highlights that 2023 vs. 2022 is remaining consistently the same and is requiring hundreds of movements more if it is to meet 2019 levels.
For the Chicago-based airport, this could change for them in the Summer season, but at the same time, numbers could stay the same.
Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport’s Numbers…
As for #1, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport handled 2,081 movements between March 5-12, based on the seven-day rolling average provided by the flight tracking company.
This represents an increase of 4.63% compared to the same period last year, but like with Chicago O’Hare, they are requiring around 445 movements to achieve pre-pandemic levels.
Below is the last four weeks’ worth of data from the Atlanta-based airport:
| Date | 2019 Numbers | 2022 Numbers | 2023 Numbers | Percentage Difference (2023 vs. 2022) |
| February 5-12 | 2211 movements | 1879 movements | 2007 movements | +6.81% |
| February 12-19 | 2323 movements | 1890 movements | 1966 movements | +4.02% |
| February 19-26 | 2463 movements | 1912 movements | 2031 movements | +6.22% |
| February 26-March 5 | 2511 movements | 1933 movements | 2041 movements | +5.59% |
What we can see from the data is that the difference between Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International and Chicago O’Hare is the number of movements is less than 100.
This means that everything is to play for, with the gap ever so minuscule currently. Summer 2023 will be an important period for O’Hare to achieve this.
How Airlines Play A Role In This…
For Chicago and Atlanta, the following three U.S airlines will make the difference in battling for that #1 busiest airport spot in terms of movements:
- United Airlines
- American Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
All three carriers have increased frequencies and added new routes ahead of the Summer 2023 season, so that will be important in order for both sides to keep up with each other.
Without the airlines and other operators, both sides won’t be able to battle as hard as they are currently doing.
Overall…
It remains clear that the difference is beginning to become minuscule, with the expectation that some leaderboard-moving will occur during the Summer.
Looking ahead, it’s going to be interesting to see whether Atlanta can keep that #1 spot or whether Chicago can get back to the top.
It is key to note also that there is a gap of 10-30 million passengers when you look at it from that perspective, so for now, Atlanta will remain on top for the time being in one respect.
